Traders call on UT Adviser

Tribune News Service

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Chandigarh, April 19

Representatives of the Chandigarh Business Council (CBC) and the Business Promotion Council (BPC), Sector 17, today met UT Adviser Manoj Parida to discuss the Covid-19 situation.

Neeraj Bajaj, president, CBC and BPC, and office-bearers Harvinder S Gujral, Praveen Gulati and Sharanjit Singh requested the Adviser that the city is not ready for a lockdown. It will hamper business and other economic activities as people had still not recovered from the repercussions of the previous lockdowns.

Parida assured them that Chandigarh comes under the guidelines of the Centre and the government does not promote the idea of a long lockdown. The Adviser said strict measures were required to break the chain of coronavirus. He asked the associations to spread the word of taking precautions.

He also asked the representatives to promote the vaccination drive. The representatives assured him on behalf of the association that they would take all necessary steps to promote the vaccination.

Bajaj also requested the Adviser to allow takeaway orders, along with home delivery, if at any point a lockdown would come into effect.

The assurance given by the Adviser was a relief. Since last year, businesses had been suffering huge losses due to the pandemic, he said.

Meanwhile, the Chandigarh Hospitality Association has sought relief for the tourism and hospitality sector.

In a letter to UT Administrator VP Singh Badnore, association president Ankit Gupta stated that the tourism and hospitality industry was one of the biggest contributors towards tax collection and employment generation.

Due to Covid-19 pandemic, the industry faced several hardships during 2020-21, resulting large-scale retrenchment and financial losses. However, with gradual opening up of the industry and steps such as collecting excise licence fee on pro-rata basis, the industry had subconsciously accepted its yearly losses with the hope of some recovery in 2021-22, he stated.

However, with the current wave of pandemic and new restrictions, the industry was on the verge of collapse, he said, adding that unlike other industries, nearly 70-80 per cent revenue was generated in late evenings and weekends.

With this notion, he requested the Administrator to provide relief in ground rent or lease money, property tax, excise assessment fee, VAT, UTGST and electricity charges.